Alright wife just to store (walmart) to get mounting kit and a 25′ cable extension. Saleperson was preaching to her to get this “new” cable RG6 Quad as this is the new stuff required starting in 2009 when all older televisions are outdated supposedly.
So here is my big question….when i remodeled 3 years I put in regular RG6 cable as my main runners to every outlet will this be obsolete in 2009?
Some insight as to what will be required 2009 would be good? Thanks in advance for your thoughts….
Ebe
Replies
Horsepucky. In 2009, the TV broadcasters are switching over to digital transmissions. They'll still run around quite happily on your RG6. You'll need a new TV to receive the signals, or a converter box to feed your old TV. Those converter boxes will be on the shelves in the coming couple of months. There will also be a rebate ($40?) on the boxes, funded by the TV industry.
Aren't the converter boxes just for people receiving tv signals over the air (i.e., using rabbit ears to get reception)? I was told that cable and satellite subscribers wouldn't notice any changes.Jason
Edited 1/22/2008 7:19 am ET by JasonG
So here is my big question....when i remodeled 3 years I put in regular RG6 cable as my main runners to every outlet will this be obsolete in 2009?
Unless the clerk at Walmart works days as a broadcast engineer, I would be a tad skeptical about his/her technical expertise...:)
Seriously, though, RG6 QS is a higher grade of cable (better shielding) than standard RG6. You will not necessarily be able to 'see' any difference between them for most applications. Many cable operators have switched to RG6 QS for new installations, but there are plenty of older homes that are still wired with standard RG6 or even older RG59. My own house is wired with standard RG6, and the the cable company had no problem setting us up with HDTV.
The deadline in 2009 has to do with local broadcasters switching from analog to digital broadcasts, and has nothing to do with the wiring in your home. In fact, cable operators are under no such deadline, and can continue to provide analog service, although most are already pushing digital and HD services.
Bob
Edited 1/21/2008 8:56 pm ET by bobguindon
all you get in the Quad is a thicker dielectric and more shielding, for EM interference and more durability.. your stuff is just fine
the center conductor is still the same size in both
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, wer ist jetzt der Idiot ?
Thanks to all I think my questions have been answered for the most part and I can sleep much sounder tonight knowing I will not have to snake in new cable this spring.
Ebe
Edited 1/21/2008 9:42 pm ET by Ebe
My cable installer said the rg6 stuff had less signal loss and better shielding
RF is RF. Digital broadcasts occupy the same TV spectrum as regular UHF, and anything that handles UHF adequately will be fine for digital.
There might be special high noise environments or fringe conditions where you need super-duper cables, but not for 99% of the applications. The "you need special cables for digital" bullcarp is indeed just bullcarp.
For what it's worth (at least as much as what you paid) my cable installer told me that the quad cable wasn't necessary - this was when I was switching over to HD.
To confirm what others have said RG6 cable will work just fine. The only prolems one might see is that many of the HDTV stations are now in the UHF band the internal cable loss (signal level reduction per foot) goes up with frequency. Long cable lengths (+100ft) might require a VHF-UHF line amplifer. I would try it first without an amp. The web site for DTV info is http://WWW.DTV.gov. Roger